Lewis’s hand on the knife was not missed, Akira truly feared for Neera. A wave of relief flooded through her as the puca had shifted, which prompted the leader’s graceful fall. As Xeik fell, Akira squeaked a startled sound, half rising from her chair. However, she watched Lewis from her peripheral. He dropped his guard, which pleased her. ”I sorry! Did Neera and Akira make you fall?”

Xeik explained why he did what he did. And it made sense. The guild was a safe place, and heat rose when the fox was noticed missing. ”Thank you, for everything.” She reached over and pulled the books closer to her. With her growing knowledge of reading and writing, Akira was barely able to understand any of the ledger. What she did know, however, was black market slave traders and their reputations. A dark, dangerous plan began to form in the back of her mind. It would help, hopefully, a lot of girls and possibly others. Akira squirmed in her seat, already knowing what Neera would say.

”Oh, do sit still child! Do you know how hard it is to balance on your tiny shoulder without sticking claws into you?” Neera lightly chastised. ”How would you like save more? Girls I mean. Akira might have plan.” A stupid, brave, and reckless plan. It would involve Neera, and a lot of trust in complete strangers. Her heart pounded heavily beneath her chest, nervous about it already. How would they even take the idea?

”If Neera and Akira get caught… Neera could tell you where we are…” ”Akira Sno Nash, don't you dare even contemplate the notion!” Neera was now shifting into the shape closely resembling an elf, much taller than Lakra, to which Akira fought the urge to shrink in her chair. As the puca glowered over her, Akira stood, fists balled at her sides. ”Akira will! Others like Akira in trouble! Need help! You'd have Akira forget them?”

Lewis looked at the girl with a twinkle in his eye, seemingly unphased by the transformation that Neera had made. Xeik, though, was in a state of shock as the scorpion changed shape, growing as tall as the adults who had once tried to control their lives. It took a moment for the guild leader to gather himself back after the initial shock, and he shook his head.

“No. I can’t do that. You’re not a part of this guild, and I can’t compromise the safety of anyone who isn’t involved,” Xeik replied, pulling the ledger back and sighing. “Besides, we just hit them hard. They’ll probably lay low.”

“Now, now, Xeik,” Lewis said, looking back to his fellow thief. “That may not be entirely true. Not if we spin the truth a little. She’s not just any girl, you know. Her ears. She’s part something, right? Spin the tale further, and make her something rare….” He looked back to Akira with a smirk. “I think she can do it.”

Xeik shook his head again, “No. I’m not involving someone who’s outsi-”

“If that’s the problem, then just have her join the guild,” Lewis interrupted. There was silence as Xeik looked from Lewis to Akira. The girl was itching to do something, and he couldn’t blame her. He ruffled his hair and groaned. “I swear…you’re going to be the death of me!” The boy leaned back in his chair with a defeated sigh.

“Fine…fine….” He closed his eyes. “Danwe’s really going to kill me if this goes bad.”

The silver haired thief smirked, “Now, now, Xeik…since when has anything you and I have done gone wrong?”

Xeik, through his dramatic pose, opened an eye and looked at Lewis with a wicked grin. “Not once….”

Neera glared down at the child, who glared defiantly up at the puca. She was not going to back down when there was finally a chance to do something more than just run and hide. ”You don’t know when to keep your mouth shut, when to keep your nose clean, do you? Why do you have to be so much like your mother?” Akira smirked, having won the staring contest. She crossed her arms triumphantly.

Lewis suggested spinning the tale further, which made Akira pause. Should she tell them? ”Akira… Don’t think about it.” ”Wait, Akira part of guild now?” This surprised her, yet made her feel ecstatic. To have her family grow exponentially was breathtaking. ”Um, Akira may have tale you need.”

”Akira, don’t.” The child ignored the puca. ”Akira part fox actually, like my daddy… Xunatar.” She had leaned in and said her father’s name so low, she wasn’t even sure she made a noise. Neera groaned. ”Let me be the bait. I could get in, get out, and go back in the same way to assist from the inside.” ”You not got enough pretender. Sorry Neera.” This statement seemed to have taken the puca by surprise, because she shut up and crossed her arms a bit defensively.

”Whatever we do, we can’t drop mommys names. They scary mercenaries, becoming well known. Akira also know several of deities, like Lokir and deity of misfortune… And… Akira still untouched. No broken bone, no abused…” Oh she knew a lot of things that are often used at slave auctions, having watched from the shadows back in Vilpamolan.

While Akira’s name drop should have been a shock, and would have been for most people, both Xeik and Lewis looked at her with a bit of confusion. Xunatar was a name they had never heard, and growing up without a proper education in the deities of the realm was to their deficit when it came to this information. However, Xeik took her to her word that the name would be something of a shock.

“I’m not sure about the whole Xunatar being your father, thing,” Xeik said, “But the part fox is more than enough of a commodity, er…pardon my language, for those twisted merchants who…” He glanced to the side. He wasn’t going to finish that statement.

Lewis shrugged. Unlike his boss, he wasn’t one to skirt around the details. “They use the girls until they break, and then dispose of them like broken toys.” He looked to Neera and then to Akira. “We won’t force you to help. Either way, you’re more than welcome in the Heaven’s Dawn.”

“I’d prefer if if you backed out,” the leader said with a frown. “But the guild has always been about accepting the jobs that you’re most comfortable with. So…” He looked to Lewis, and then to the ledger. “Fine. If you’re determined, let’s draw up a plan…”

Lewis and Xeik brought out a parchment and some ink, and started to write some details down. They determined that, including the two of them, they would need at least two more of the boys to help track Akira and Neera. Despite the plan being that Neera would lead them back, it was better to have a backup plan just in case.

“Okay. So, this is where we’ll meet up.” He circled a cross street. “Neera, can you find that without issue? It’s one of the easier places to get to. We can start as early as….two days from now. We’ll need tomorrow to procure supplies.”

They didn't react, at least not in the way she was anticipating. Akira blinked, dumbfounded that she had ran into anyone who didn't know anything about deities. Then again, she herself didn't know much of them until she happened upon Xunatar's doorstep. Perhaps, for now, it was better that they didn't comprehend the gravity of her lineage. She allowed it to flow as water under the bridge, a conversation that would likely come back later.

"Akira, you don't have to do this. For all you've endured… This would be exponentially worse." Calmly, Akira looked up at the elf with a knowing smile. "Akira know." Neera threw her hands up. "Don't take my advice then! Don't expect me to say I told you so when I must save your sorry tail!" Akira stuck her tongue out at Neera before returning her attention to Lewis and Xiek. "Back out? My idea." The puca looked at the map, and smiled coyly. "Child's play. I can be there."

---

The plans had been drawn up, and all who would participate had gone over it many times. Akira's job was primarily to look pretty, and allow herself to get snatched. Neera would be tucked away in her clothing, fighting the urge to defend the child from the slavers. Yet, when the night before they executed the plan came, Akira sat in the windowsill, staring out at the moon above. She couldn't sleep.

Her heart beat hard. She could do this… She had to do this… It would be the first time she actually planned to get into trouble. Though she didn't have the words for it, she felt nervous and apprehensive. One word she did know was scared, but it wasn't quite what she was feeling. Akira enjoyed her time with Heaven's Dawn, already beginning to think of all of the boys as her brothers. As with all the others, Xiek she looked up to. But there was something about Lewis that made him stand out above the rest. 

Xeik found himself restless before the job. They had never done anything like this since their inception, and it was making him worried. He had paced the floor of the attic where he stayed for the most part, but finally he needed more space, and went down to the lower floors. It was there that he noticed Akira sitting in the windowsill, the moonlight washing over her, making her seem radiant, almost ethereal.

The boy blushed. She was much younger than he was, but he could feel that as she grew, she would become someone stunning. He walked up to her, and smiled. “Hey, Akira. Are you having trouble sleeping?” he asked. The girl had to be worried about the plan. It made sense. Even someone with experience knew just how risky this all was.

“You’re really brave,” the young boy said as he sat down on the floor next to the window. “Both Lewis and I can see that.” He sighed. “He hasn’t taken his eyes off you since you got here. It’s weird. He’s never been so interested in someone like this before…” The boy was apparently oblivious to the fact that Lewis was practically attached to Xeik’s hip. It dawned on Xeik that it may have been him being wary, but Lewis would have said something about it the moment the two had a chance to talk about.

“Maybe he likes you…”

A single ear swiveled toward Xeik as he came down the stairs. She didn't move to see who it was, for it was one of the boys, the only ones besides herself who slumbered here tonight. Akira nodded to the question, still looking up at the moon. "Akira never plan big thing like this before." Xeik moved to sit near her, the young foxling watching him, drawn by his words. He mentioned Lewis, to which she subconsciously held her breath and a small smile began to play at the corner of her lips.

"Akira like Lewis. Like you all. But Lewis my favorite." But the looming task shadowed her thoughts once more. "Grow up in Vilpamolan, have be brave. Not brave gets hunger, snatched, beaten, or killed. Never been snatched." She grew silent as she regarded Xeik thoughtfully. "Promise Akira something? If all go bad, and can't help Akira… Contact Mommy Celeste in Sularia… And Daddy. Xunatar is deity, of darkness, chaos. But he love me."

The child slid off the window sill, sat next to Xeik, and curled into his body, head leaning against his shoulder. "Akira is Daddy's smallest. But not know long. He seem scary, his home cold, but he care." Amber came crawling up to the pair and curled up on the opposite side of Xeik. "Should Akira leave Amber here when I go home to see mommies? For the boys?"

Xeik was unsure of why Akira was being so forthcoming with her information. The name he had heard earlier that day, Xunatar, was that of a deity. He had heard of them cursed and praised his entire life, but thought little of it since it didn’t pertain to survival, but upon hearing it now he wondered. Were the Gods and Goddesses real? And if so, was Akira truly the daughter of one of them?

As Akira curled into him, he frowned at the possibilities. If that were true, and something were to happen to her, would that cause a problem for the guild? I would have to take the blame. Lewis could lead if it came down to it. Danwe would support him…. He closed his eyes.

“I promise,” He said finally. “But hey…I won’t let anything happen to you. None of us will.” He smirked, and opened his eyes. “When we work together, Heaven’s Dawn is unstoppable. We can do anything!”

“I don’t know if it’s the best idea,” the boy replied. “We can’t be here all day to watch Amber. But…you both are welcome here any time. You and your family.”

The silence between them stretched as she waited for his response. Would he admit to the necessity of assistance should events turn south? Of course, even setting that fail safe up felt difficult. Akira did not want to think of what would happen to require help from her adopted mothers. What would happen that not even Neera could help? Xeik’s voice broke her spiraling thoughts, grounding her once more in the here and now.

A smile spread across her face as she nestled further against the thief. ”Akira has faith.” Something about the older boy was helping put her mind at ease, allowing her to slip into slumber. Her dreams were filled with Larka, Celeste, and Amber sitting with all of the boys, laughing and playing.

---

Akira barely touched her breakfast when it was provided. However, instead of feeling nervous, she felt eerily calm. Hunger would only make things more real to the unsuspecting. They waited until the most appropriate time, and for once, she was glad she did not have the most pristine of clothing on. Her travel-worn kimono was noticeably filthy. Opting out of brushing her hair, it looked unkempt enough to pass her inspection.

Neera stayed hidden and silent, knowing her words would not sway the child now. All she could do was ensure her safety from this point on, while attempting to maintain the success of their mission. Once Akira made it into the marketplace, she looked for the guy in question. The boys had described him often enough that she could tell who he was on sight. Her ploy was simple. She began to walk around, making puppy dog eyes, puckered that bottom lip, and plead for food. "Please, coin for food? Just a nibble ma'am?"

Her questions were always asked the ones least likely to indulge her. This wasn't for them to pity her, this was her show for the evil one. Finally she went up to him, tugged gently on his sleeve. "Please, sir, I hungry. Just a coin?" The way he eyed her sent her skin crawling. What was with the intensity of that gaze? Then he began his sales pitch, layering his trap with honey, drawing the girls as flies.

As Akira drifted off to sleep, Xeik found himself going over the plan in his head over in his head. It was not a foolproof plan by any means, but between the three of them, and a minor bit of outside help, they had come up with every possible scenario they could think of. Even this, still, did not put Xeik’s mind at ease. Briefly he wondered if this was a huge mistake, but it was far too late to back out now. They would just have to push through, and pray to the Gods for the best.

His planning didn’t end until the morning, and when the sun started to rise, he realized that he had failed to get an ounce of sleep. Despite this, he felt barely an ounce of fatigue. Surely, he would crash the moment everything ended, but until then, he knew he would hold a razor focus. He gently shook Akira awake, and the two made their way to the kitchen, where there was already food being made in preparation for the day’s trials.

The boys noted that Akira was not eating, but their leader made no motion to force the girl to eat, so they stayed silent. It was all a part of the plan, and she had to look the part. That being said, neither Lewis nor Xeik liked the idea of it.

With explicit instructions, Akira left before the rest of the boys did. For the main part of the operation, Xeik had chosen Lewis and two others to accompany him. The other two boys, Art and Noah, took to the streets to tail the young kitsune. Xeik and Lewis took point n the rooftops, easily catching up to the girl.

The stage was set, and all they had to do now was wait. Akira went about her begging, and it didn’t take long for a peculiar person to catch her eye. Immediately, Xeik felt something was wrong about him. He had developed a sort of sixth sense about these things. Living day to day like they did, you had to.

Akira was not the only one. There were others; orphans, disowned daughters, and the like who gathered around the man as he spun words of a better life that could await them. It was just enough information to lure them, but not enough to point out the man as a liar.

From the distance, Xeik couldn’t hear the man, but he could read the man’s lips well enough to get the idea of what twisted world this man was trying to sell. The man spoke, and the twinkle in the girls’ eyes sparkled more and more. When it seemed at its peak, a large, covered wagon appeared to whisk them away. Immediately Xeik lost sight of Akira in the rush as the girls tried to all get into the wagon at once. The man told them to calmly proceed; there was more than enough room for all of them.

Xeik tightened his hand into a fist, nearly drawing blood from his own nails digging in to his palm. Lewis seemed stoic, though, as if uneffected.

“You’re calm,” Xeik said as he glanced over, trying to put his mind in a better place.

“We either succeed, or we don’t,” Lewis replied. “Any other thought will just get in the way.”

Xeik nodded, and trained his gaze back to the wagon. The last of the girls hopped in, and it started off.

“Let’s follow…”